An air conditioning device for a vehicle, designed with a vehicle mounting layout, according to which a blower unit is offset upstream of an inclined evaporator in a flow of air, is known. In the vehicle air conditioning device designed with such a mounting layout (referred to as the present mounting layout), a wind direction vector of a main flow of air discharged from a blower scroll is parallel to an inflow plane of the evaporator and the flow of air separates from the evaporator (vortices are developed).
According to the mounting layout as above, separation of the flow of air deteriorates an air velocity distribution of air flowing into the evaporator. More specifically, an inflow air velocity of the evaporator across the inflow plane is low on the blower side and high on the opposite side to the blower. Such an inhomogeneous air velocity distribution causes a sense of air velocity and a temperature from an air-conditioning unit to differ noticeably between the right and left in a vehicle interior and an occupant feels less comfortable.
The vehicle air conditioning device disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1 is proposed as means for improving the inflow air velocity distribution of the evaporator. In the disclosed vehicle air conditioning device, an air blower unit and an air-conditioning unit are offset in a width direction of a vehicle. In order to adjust an air velocity distribution of air flowing into a heat exchanger without changing a wall surface shape of an air-conditioning case, the vehicle air conditioning device adopts a configuration as follows.
The vehicle air conditioning device includes a blower unit and a temperature regulation unit that adjusts a temperature of sent air using an evaporator and blows temperature-adjusted air into a vehicle interior. The sent air flows into the evaporator by passing a path bent at a right angle. In a counter wall surface of the bent path facing to an air inflow surface (inflow plane) of the evaporator, multiple protrusions protruding in a direction perpendicular to the air inflow surface are provided along a direction of the flow of air immediately before flowing into the bent path. The multiple protrusions form steps in the blower unit in such a manner that a space for air entering the evaporator is reduced more in the inner portion.